SJSU Career Center's Fall Job/Internship Fair attracted 175 employers and 2,500 students (Jessica Olthof photo)

SJSU Career Center’s Fall Job/Internship Fair attracted 175 employers and 2,500 students (Jessica Olthof photo)

They were dressed in suits, coats and tie, jackets and dresses, pumps and wingtips. They had resumes in hand, and cell phones tucked away. They were waiting for this moment ever since earning early-bird status by completing a Job Fair Success Webshop (online workshop) weeks ago, when SJSU Career Center staff walked them through the ins and outs of looking for a job. All that was left now between them and the recruiters was a rousing speech. As soon as it was over, these job seekers were on their feet, scrambling down the bleachers, angling to be the first to hit the floor Sept. 27 at the SJSU Fall Job/Internship Fair, the largest such event in five years. By day’s end, an estimated 2,500 students visited the fair, which drew so many employers that their booths spilled out of the Event Center and onto the San Carlos paseo, where they met with students under sunny skies. More than 175 recruitment teams represented just about every imaginable sector (from Kohl’s to Enterprise Rent-a-Car to the U.S. Army), with a heavy emphasis on high tech (Cisco, IBM and Oracle, for example) given SJSU’s Silicon Valley location.

The SJSU Alumni Association was on hand to greet the many recruiters who were SJSU graduates, back on campus to share what they know. It was not hard to imagine the day the students who worked so hard to be first on the floor would one day return themselves as young professionals seeking to recruit the next generation.